1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to the hand control of a motor vehicle accelerator using a portable device by which a handicapped person who does not have use of both feet may safely drive a motor vehicle which has been equipped with an automatic transmission.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Heretofore, the handicapped individual who has suffered the temporary or permanent loss of the use of a leg or foot has found the limited driving aids available to operate the accelerator of a motor vehicle cumbersome and lacking in portability. Hand control devices which require extensive vehicle modification or permanent installation are impractical in situations where the use of a vehicle is only temporary such as with a rental car or where the individual is not permanently handicapped such as would be the case with a foot in a cast. Futhermore, individuals that require mobility assistance from a cane or a set of crutches are often limited in their ability to physically carry and independently install any additional device needed to control the speed of their vehicle. Finally, a permanently installed accelerator device may impede or hinder the safe operation of the vehicle by non-handicapped drivers.
None of the prior art cited in this invention satisfies the need to provide a portable accelerator control device that is readily adaptable to any vehicle without the use of tools and is easy for the handicapped driver to carry without interfering with cane or crutch-assisted walking. Patents by Lerman (U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,886; 1955), Engberg et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,777,335; 1957), Kelsey et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,659; 1957), Hammack (U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,089; 1958), Dunn (U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,797; 1958), Whitmire (U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,647; 1962), Schwendenmann (U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,149; 1969), Dowden (U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,835; 1984) and Ulrich et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,522; 1986) all reveal complex dual brake and accelerator mechanisms which are permanently installed. Gockel (U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,723; 1984) and Ulrich (U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,879; 1988) both show dual brake and accelerator control devices that claim portability but would be both unwieldy for the handicapped individual to carry and difficult to install.
Case (U.S. Pat. No. 1,716,814; 1929) shows a complex, permanently installed, auxillary hand throttle which was intended to be used with floor-mounted, manual transmission vehicles.
Later throttle control devices were actually early attempts to develop cruise control mechanisms. Patents by Pokorny (U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,510; 1954), Atran (U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,250; 1960), Donaldson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,885; 1960) and Dishart (U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,350; 1964) all illustrate devices that were intended to relieve the right foot during long trips. While these devices may be portable to the non-handicapped individual, they lack ease of portability for an individual whose hand(s) may be occupied with locomotion assistance aids such as a cane or crutch. Furthermore, all four devices are intended to maintain the vehicle at a fixed speed once the desired speed is attained. None of these devices were intended by their inventors to provide variable speed regulation through acceleration/deceleration phases of vehicle operation as would be obtained during normal right-footed accelerator use.
Cameron et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,365; 1965) reveal a throttle control device with a telescopic handle that is attached to the gas pedal linkage by means of a complex, threaded clamp mechanism which would require tools for installation. Similiarly, Zivl (U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,966; 1949) makes uses of a complex operating handle which purperts ease of installation for the control of either a brake or accelerator but offers no other additional utility and would continue to burden the handicapped during transit.